We do not own "Sailor Moon" nor any of the characters.
SAILOR MOON ETERNAL
"The 6th Season of the Sailor Moon Saga"
By Haruka Kou
Chapter 16: Moving Day
Late in the afternoon, back at the house, Robin sits in Michelle's studio, quietly sipping a cup of tea, carefully studying the many canvas and sketches scattered throughout the room.. Each was a vivid portrayal of the particular subject, whether it be some sort of sea life (which he found the bulk were based on) or of a person, one person only in truth.
"Alex." Robin says her name out loud as he sifts through several of the sketches he holds on his lap of the tall woman in various dress and poses, stunning in her natural beauty.
"I don't know why, but Michelle always insists on drawing me." Alex opens the door to the studio, dressed in a sporty button-up shirt (men's style of course) and blue-grey pants, looking rested and more her normal self, after yesterday's harrowing ordeal.
Robin is not startled by her sudden appearance, he having a strange awareness of her being, a result of his link with Michelle.
"You know why." Robin takes another sip of his tea before meeting his gaze, unafraid of her overpowering stare, knowing what she and Michelle meant to each other. Smiling wryly, Alex walks into the room past him, going to the window.
"So where is everyone? Don't tell me it's only you and me here." She takes a swipe at him.
"Scary." Robin jabs back, Alex shooting him a forbidden look.
"Don't start on me, shrimp." She walks past him to the living room, acting quite superior to the shorter man, and quite enjoying it. His ego becoming increasingly bruised, Robin's sharp tongue is on the verge of snapping back some sort of retort when they hear a car pull up.
Rini and Tara come racing into the house, ice cream cones in one hand, candy in the other, the poor, battered kite that was brand-new only hours ago, tucked under Rini's arm.
"It looks like someone has been spoiling you, pretty girls." Alex teases the youngsters.
'Terry-papa." Rini smiles, as Tara offers Alex some candy.
"Oh, is that right?" Alex comments, amused. Susan and Michelle come in next, ice cream in their hands too.
"Is 'Terry-papa' spoiling you two as well?" she can't help but tease the two women, making Susan blush and Michelle raise her eyebrows.
"I am glad to see you're feeling better, Amara." Michelle says coyly, touching her friend's cheek, tossing her unwanted ice cream cone into the kitchen sink, too high class to put up with dripping ice cream. "Was she good, Robin?" Michelle asks, hanging on his arm.
"What do you think?" Robin was still smarting over the continual 'shrimp' comments, as he frowns at Alex sourly.
Loaded down with bags and bags of groceries, Terry comes in next, Sayer at his heels, empty-handed save a half-eaten ice cream cone in his hand.
"I got you one too, Ally. But it started melting, so…..I couldn't let it go to waste. Wanna finish it up?" He gallantly offers the decimated ice cream cone to her. Alex refuses with a smirk, so Sayer shrugs and chomps it down in one bite.
"Did you find an apartment?" Robin asks, seeming like he really wanted to know (for two reasons), as Terry puts the groceries in the kitchen.
"Yes, we did. I told the man we'd move in tomorrow." Terry smiles, as he quite enjoys helping Susan passing along the canned goods.
"That's a relief." Robin sighs under his breath.
"What was that!" Michelle squeaks out, ready to bust.
"I said, 'Here's some cans of roast beef'." Robin covers up his words, pretending he was merely commenting on what Susan was putting in the cabinet.
"Ally," Sayer says suddenly, pulling the shades from his eyes, a certain look in them that Alex couldn't quite place—and it made her nervous.
"Can I see you outside for a minute?" He looks around warningly, "ALONE." He smiles at her mysteriously.
"Don't you want to wait until it gets dark out?" Alex flirts temptingly teasing him.
"Nah, I want you to have a good look at what I have to show you." Sayer's tone was full of underlying innuendo.
"Let's go then." Alex follows him out the door, not knowing quite what to expect, it exciting her.
Going out the door, what she sees under the sunsetting skyline does more than excite her. "A Ferrari.." she barely whispers, knowing every line of her beloved car, though it was a bright, fiery red now, it was the exact same make and model of her obliterated friend.
"Now you don't have to choose between me and the car. We're both yours." Sayer pats the automobile's hood like it was an old pal.
"I don't understand." Alex mind reels, unbelieving what he was saying.
"It's yours, Ally. I'm giving her to you." Sayer holds the brand-new keys out to her.
"No…I can't accept it." Alex was never one to accept charity, the gift of an $200,000 plus car more than meeting that standard.
"Why not?" Sayer himself had no sense of money, Terry always handling those sort of things. All he knew was that he was giving the woman he was slowly realizing he was in love with, something she really wanted—something that was partly his fault for destroying her old one. "Here." Sayer grabs her hand, squeezing the keys into it.
"I said, 'No'." Alex shoves them back into his hands.
"Why?" Keys go back into hers.
"It's too much." Back into his.
"Ally, don't you like her?" Sayer cocks his head, finding women puzzling, especially this one.
Running her hand over the sleek new gleaming hood, Alex sighs. "Of course I do but…" she stops short.
"But?" Sayer never imagined it would be this hard to give somebody something they really wanted, as he could see in her eyes she really did.
"I don't accept charity." Alex states, removing her hand from the gorgeous vehicle.
Getting the picture, Sayer goes to an alternative plan. "It's not charity. I am expecting something in return for payment." Sayer smiles wickedly.
"Oh, are you?" Alex quickly becomes suspicious, of "that sort of payment" in his voice.
"Yeah. The car's yours, in your name and everything, but…" he stops dramatically, raising his eyebrows.
"You have to drive me whenever and wherever I want to go. What do you say, Sokova? Deal?" Sayer sticks out his hand, reminding Alex of that first time they had met, and he offered his hand out to her. Then, she had wanted to punch him, now, she wanted to do something else entirely different.
"Deal, Starr." Their hands meet in a powerful shake. Alex did not know what she was getting into, claiming the keys in her hands at long last.
"Want to take it for a test drive?" Sayer looks at the dazzling beauty before him.
"Get in." Alex climbs behind the wheel of a Ferrari again, this one even more meaningful because it was theirs together, something she was growing, albeit slowly, more and more accustomed to.
Turning the ignition key, hearing the familiar Ferrari "purr", Alex feels totally complete once again, the strange feeling increasing as she watches Sayer fling himself over the open roof, landing perfectly in the passenger's seat. Flashing a smile at him, Alex steps on the gas pedal and the sparkling new Ferrari speeds off into the sunset, leaving the inhabitants of the house (nosily spying out the window) in the dust.
"I didn't think they'd ever stop arguing." Michelle giggles at Alex's stubborn streak.
"I don't think they ever will." Robin smirks, knowing the combination of his weird brother's and Alex's fiery dispositions explosive. He closes the window, their 'entertainment' long gone, night falls slowly, moving in.
Zipping along Tokyo's busy highways, even on Sundays it was busy, a cool red sports car makes it presence known. Weaving in and out of traffic expertly, never having to slow it's pace on account of the genius race car driver at it's wheel. Glancing at the high tech dashboard, Alex Sokova casually takes note of all the instrumentation, driving coming second nature to her, so easy, so right, so exciting. And she hits the accelerator once more, high speed an integral part of her own being.
Leaving the other driver's around in the dust, Alex's gaze rests upon the man next to her, who's been amazingly silent the entire ride so far. His eyes closed peacefully, his handsome features seem perfectly at home contented as his unruly curls are scattered by the wind, his thin ponytail dancing behind him.
Pulling into a deserted spot at the side of the road, Alex stops the Ferrari, letting the sound of it's powerful engine purr to her as they idle.
"What do you think of it?" Sayer opens his deep blue eyes, anxious to hear what she has to say about the new car he had just given her.
"What can I say? It's a beautiful machine." Alex runs her fingers over the dashboard controls lovingly, always treating her car with a tenderness she rarely showed otherwise.
"Do you like her then?" Sayer smiles, proud he was able to do this for her.
"Like her? Maybe I could express my gratitude in a way you'd understand…" She hits the emergency brakes hard then turns to Sayer and kisses him.
You really are wonderful aren't you, considering me? Maybe you are more than I first thought you were. Maybe…. Alex continues to kiss him, hearing the engine rumble beneath them, more than gratitude coming through in the kiss as the sun sinks from view in the sky.
Seeing a stopped vehicle stopped on the side of this deserted road at dusk, Officer Yamoto decides to do his duty and investigate the matter, having a suspicious cop's mind of perhaps a breakdown, or worse yet, some kind of crime being afoot. As he pulls his squad car in closer to the expensive looking, brand spanking new Ferrari, he notes there are no plates on the back or front. Perhaps it was a Code 57, grand theft stolen vehicle, whipping out his flashlight, seeing the silhouettes of two people in the front seat of the car.
The man in the driver's side seemed to be forcing his attentions on the helpless ponytailed woman in the passenger's seat. Code 71! Assault! The good policeman's mind shouts out as he pulls out his weapon, rushing to the damsel's aid.
"Put your hands up!" Yamoto's voice was all business, lifting his weapon high in the air.
Surprised, the golden haired driver stops "his" attack and turns to the cop. Shining his flashlight at the miscreant, Officer Yamoto quickly sees his error, lowering his weapon in a hurry.
"Sorry to startle you….Ma'am," he nods to Alex, "Sir." He looks to Sayer, apologetically, seeing obviously the switch. "But I saw this new car running on this lonely stretch of road, with no license, so I've come to investigate." He leaves out the part about his suspicions, seeing the pair as two young kids, doing what young kids their age do.
"Oh, I forgot!" Sayer digs in the glove compartment, pulling out the temporary plate paper. "Guy at the dealership told me to put this on." Sayer shrugs holding it out for the cop to see. Alex proudly displays her legitimate driver's license without even being asked.
Despite the boy's rather wild looking appearance and though taken aback by Alex's looks, he tends to believe their story, the young woman looking more than capable for her age. "That's fine then," he smiles, suddenly realizing how much the girl resembled his own headstrong daughter, though different appearance, their attitudes were the same, she about her same age. "Your first car?" he asks curiously, taking an interest in them.
"No, Officer, my…friend here just got it for me" Alex explains.
"Ahh. Your boyfriend." The older man smiles with a nod, having experience with youthful daughters and their various boy troubles.
Her eyes opening wide at the title, Alex considers the word with a smirk and slowly nods.
"All right, you two. Go on and get home before your folks worry." He walks back to the police car. "And get those plates on ASAP!" He calls back getting in his vehicle and driving away.
Putting the Ferrari into gear, Alex pulls back onto the road, heading home.
"Did you mean that Ally? Am I your boyfriend?" He smiles gleefully at the idea, it seeming rather amusing.
Alex rolls her eyes to the heavens above. "Don't you EVER mention that to anyone." She says threateningly, not wanting the rest of the world to think such a thing.
"I won't." Sayer smiles from ear to ear, turning his gaze up to the star-filled night, never feeling quite so happy before in his entire life, inwardly knowing despite her tough words, he was being slowly accepted by this hard won creature as the lone passion-red Ferrari speeds home through the darkness of the night.
The pain of her first crush slowly ebbing, Tara smiles even more, actually enjoying sneaking glances as Terry helps Susan cook dinner. (Doing most of the work and not letting Susan do much at all really.) Realizing how much in love they are, Tara happily sits at the kitchen table, contented with her life the way it is, busily coloring and making cutouts at the kitchen table with Rini. Living back again as a child, Tara and her best friend were inseparable. Rini was even going to sleep over tonight, not wanting to miss a moment of her short visit to spend with her "bestest" friend. Sure, she had her in the future, and then she loved her dearly, but somehow it was different. By the time Rini was this old again, Tara was ages older, with a lot of different responsiblities and things to do. I'm not complaining. Not at all. I have a good life in Crystal Tokyo. So many friends—but no one is MY Tara. My very first and my very best friend. No one will ever take your place. Rini smiles reflectively at Tara, offering her a peach crayon. Glad to see the two girls having fun together, Susan quietly attempts to peel the potatoes, but is soon discovered under Terry's watchful eye.
"I'll do that." He smiles, taking the potato peeler from her, caressing her slender hand as he does, not being able to do enough for "his lady" it seemed.
"Terry, I can-" Susan wants to be helpful.
"Susan. You are my Princess. Let me treat you accordingly." He tells her succinctly, gently pushing her down to a chair.
"We'll help you set the table." Tara offers sweetly as she and Rini quickly gather up their mess.
"Yes, thank you girls." Susan gets up again, to fetch the dinner plates, Terry nuzzling in her hair as she reaches up for the plates in the cabinet above where he was working. The two younger girls giggle at the romantic sight as they scurry to and fro getting the table ready for dinner for the eight of them.
Soon dinner is ready. But two of the partakers are still missing.
"Where are they? I'm hungry?" Robin whines, putting his elbows on the table as he looks out the front door.
"Would you like to do something to keep your mind occupied?" Michelle flirtingly drifts up to him, hanging on his arm.
"I wish they'd hurry up." Robin continues to look intently out the door.
"There they are!" Rini sings out from her seat, playing cards with Tara in the windowbox.
"You're late. Dinner's getting cold." Robin welcomes them in with a sour face.
"Sorry about that, Shrimp." Alex can't help from teasing him as steam comes from Robin's head.
"Nice, Amara?" Michelle asks simply.
"Very nice." Alex answers with a mysterious smile.
"I am glad." Michelle attaches herself to her friend's arm clingingly.
"What took you so long?" Robin couldn't imagine why Sayer would want to spend time alone with that woman, the very thought frightening.
"We stopped in town and rented some movies." Sayer holds up some video tapes.
"What kind of movies, Sayer?" Terry asks, suspicious of his brother's choices, especially considering their younger audience with them tonight.
"'Toy Story' for the kids," Sayer, insulted by Terry's remark, just about refraining from sticking his tongue out at him, acting like the "kids" he described himself.
"Who are you calling 'kids'?" Rini stands up to him indignantly, and seems to have some kind of grudge at the man. Tara laughs at her angry face. But Sayer ignores her, simply bopping her pink head playfully.
"The other movie is a new one, just released, I never heard of. Historical flick or something, I guess, cause there's an old boat on the cover. So you'd probably like it, Ter." Not knowing much else about it, Sayer had only grabbed it at the last minute, his action packed mind knowing what his brothers disliked, and not being able to decide on anything else, chose this one because he thought that for a second he saw Alex consider it with the tiniest bit of interest as they were leaving the video store.
After eating a delicious dinner, which Terry credits all to Susan's excellent cooking, (though he did most of the work). They gather in the living room to watch "Toy Story" (which Sayer seemed to enjoy more than either Rini or Tara, laughing the entire time, everyone rolling their eyes at his childishness). When it's time for Rini and Tara to go to bed they go and get changed, but return, pleading to be able to stay up too, despite the late hour. As gentle as she was, Susan coul.d not refuse them, the two grateful girls running up to her in their nightgowns and cuddling up to her on one side of the couch, Terry-papa's strong arm around her on the other.
Michelle leans her head on Alex's shoulder, but her hands slide into Robin's lap as the three of them squish together on the loveseat. Sayer, returning with more popcorn, takes his place on the floor, leaning against the smaller couch, at their feet. As late in the night as it was, as tiring the day of fun had been for them, Rini and Tara soon fall asleep, snuggled close to Susan, leaving the six adults to watch the movie on their own. Alex's dynamic sound system made it sound real as the foghorns of the "Titanic" steam full ahead into the living room.
As the ending credits roll by, the beautiful haunting melody echoes throughout the quiet house, the tragic romance, the song's beautiful lyrics, bringing tears to both Susan and Michelle's eyes, though Alex still "manfully" holds them back, even though, she too, could feel the overwhelming emotions of romance, sorrow and unending love sweeping through them all.
The three men assembled feel it too in their own way, no one immune to such all-encompassing heartfelt passion, especially since now, each of them knew what it truly was to love someone so intensely.
Michelle had been sobbing throughout the picture, and had made Robin's hair damp with her tears. Terry pulled Susan even closer to him during those scenes as well, their romantic souls fully understand the film's underlying message, their newly discovered love is deep, as deep and true as any storybook hero's or heroine's.
Even after the movie is over, Susan feels the stirring of the children, supposedly asleep on her lap, who seemed to have awaken a little too punctually on cue, as soon as the film ended.
"Time for bed now, my dears." Susan brushes the hair from their small faces, Rini, unconvincing, just comes to.
"Puu. Puu.." Rini does a good act, blinking back pretend sleep.
"Off to bed, you two. Right now." Alex saw right through their ploy, stands and stretches, clapping her hands together for the two miscreants to rush off.
"Tara." Terry gently whispers, lifting the truly sleeping child from Susan's motherly lap. Seeing her too tired to walk herself, he exchanges a look with Susan and carries Tara to Susan's room.
"I want to be carried too, Puu." Rini stretches her arms around Susan's neck, a little jealous of Tara's attention from Terry-Papa.
"Small Lady." Susan smiles, carrying her young charge to her room as well.
"Papa?" Tara dazingly says, having almost the same sense of her father's warmth about her, as Terry lays her down upon the bed.
"Mmhmm." Not wanting to spoil the happy dreams of the girl longing to be with her beloved father. Susan brings Rini in behind him, laying the energetic child down next to her exhausted friend.
"Puu, can't I?" She starts to plead again, full of childish exuberance, even at 1:30 in the morning.
"No arguments, Small Lady." Terry places a finger on her pouty little mouth.
"Yes, Terry-Papa." Rini keeps forgetting her time and place, using the name she always calls him in the future.
Always curious, Terry cocks his head a bit, "Don't take this wrong, little Princess, I don't mind at all. I actually like it, but…tell me, why do you call me "papa?" He asks knowing that Serena was her mother and Darien her father. Why would she call him that?
"I-" Rini realizes her mistake. "It's a secret." She tries to cover for her errors. "'You already know too much of your own future'" she mimics words she heard her guardian, Sailor Pluto say once. "Right, Puu?"
Susan smiles at her protégé, leaning over and kissing both children 'good night'. She then tucks them in in her soft, gentle way. "Good night." She whispers.
"'Night!" Rini shuts her eyes tightly.
"Good night, Small Lady." Terry replies, curiosity still etched on his handsome face as Susan leads him out the door, shutting the lights off in the room.
"As a keeper of Time now, you must try not to ask such questions." Susan seems to look for something to say, a little nervous in the hallway.
"I'm a good learner, if I have the right teacher…" Terry smiles down at her, feeling a more than a little amorous after the movie.
"I believe I can be…a good teacher…" Susan's eyes flutter closed, as Terry leans down to kiss her, when they hear a loud arguing coming from the living room.
"I'll be glad when you're all out of here and in your own apartment," Susan and Terry peer around the corner to see Alex bodily removing Michelle from Robin, who seemed to be drowning in her kisses.
"Michelle, can't you control yourself?" Alex asks, shaking her head at her weak friend, as Robin gets up quickly, dusting himself off, wondering what it was he said that set Michelle off in such a fashion.
"It wasn't what you said, it was what you thought." Michelle's mind could still call out to him wistfully, even as Alex was dragging her physical self to the safety of her own room.
Quickly returning after shutting the door tightly behind her, and silently wishing for a key to lock her in, Alex finds Robin who she intended to give a piece of her mind. He seemed to feel this already having hastily departed to his own room, leaving only Sayer stretched on the couch in the living room (though she still could see Susan and Terry around the corner, up to their own antics, which she notes with a smirk).
"Go to sleep." She finds she actually enjoys ordering Sayer around, but is particularly amazed to see him get up without an argument.
"If you give me a kiss goodnight, I'll go." No argument? No such luck.
"My fist will give you a kiss goodnight," Alex threatens him grabbing him by his collar and dragging Sayer off to his and Terry's shared room. "I think we've seen more than our share of this sort of thing tonight." On the rampage, Alex adds Terry's collar to her collection, pulling him away from Susan's warmth, forcefully shoving both men into their room and slamming the door shut before they could say anything in argument. One forbidding look at Susan is enough to get her to shyly blush her way down the hall to her shared bed with Rini and Tara.
"There. That's better." Alex says to the empty hallway, rubbing her hands together, proud of herself that she could turn such an upside down house, right side up again. But turning to her own room, she can't help but flash one wistful look at the door she had just slammed behind Sayer, his thoughtfulness and attentions (not to mention the movie) softening her a bit in that direction. Alex suddenly shakes her head in disbelief at her own thoughts.
I must be crazy! Alex smirks at her strange "weakness" for that man, but her dreams that night were filled with visions of a blazing red Ferrari speeding down the highways at sunset. And a stunning man with piercing blue eyes smiles back at her, the wind flowing through his hair, tossing it about wildly.
Monday morning shines bright and early on the busy scheduled members of the household. Bright and early at least for some anyway.
"Sayer, wake up." Terry, always the early riser, already dressed and shaved, wants to get this busy day going. After all today the three of them were moving into a new apartment.
"Sayer." Terry shakes his lazy brother gently, never having the heart to be stern with his brother when he was sleeping so peacefully.
"Just shake him hard." Robin comes in without knocking. (Who needs to knock when you're so close?) with a big yawn coming from his mouth, not as wide awake as his tallest brother, and Robin was always grumpier in the mornings than any other time (but sometimes it was hard to tell!)
"Ally.." Sayer says in his sleep, obviously still dreaming of his dazzling new love.
"Ahh, he's having a nightmare." Robin twists his lip, always ready to take a jab at his fast-becoming arch-nemesis (and rival for Michelle's attentions).
"Nightmare!" Sayer's eyes pop open groggily at Robin's insulting words. "Take it back!" He jumps from his bed, attacking Robin with a stranglehold, knocking them both with a loud bang to the floor, as Robin tries to escape the boyish struggle, Terry raises his eyes up to heaves, wondering what could ever keep his two brothers from quarreling.
"What are you boys up to in here?" Michelle comes peeking into the crack in the door Robin left open to see what all the noisy ruckus was about.
"Oh, uh, umm." Sayer stops his tugging at Robin's hair, jumping up so quickly he has to hold onto his loosened boxer shorts as they threaten to come asliding down.
Covering her mouth girlishly, Michelle giggles as Terry helps Robin to his feet, the little scuffler desperately trying to straighten his mussed hair as he rubs his sore head.
"Just doing our daily…morning…exercises." Sayer pretends, his agile body leaning over and touching his toes as a demonstration.
"Oh? You exercise too, every morning?" Michelle asks smirkingly, not believing for a moment that this undisciplined young man could ever hold to such a regimented schedule—but she did know someone who did. "Amara is out doing her regular laps around the property right now. If you're interested, I'm sure she'd enjoy your company." Michelle teases, knowing Amara liked this time to be alone and might not be all that welcoming if Sayer showed up.
Sayer jumps at the chance rummaging through the new packages in the closet, producing a new pair of running shoes, pulling them on hastily, he's about to rush out the door, when Terry's calm voice stops him.
"Sayer." His older brother succinctly holds out a pair of black shorts. Robin rolls his eyes, and leaves the room, but not before Michelle gives him a good morning kiss on the cheek and fixes his hair "just right."
"Oh right!" Sayer grabs the shorts, pulling them on as he runs into the hall, nearly crashing into Tara and Rini as they come out of Susan's room, dressed and ready for school.
"Hey! Watch it!" Rini shouts.
"Sorry Munchkins!" Sayer sings as he races out the door.
"I was waiting for Amara, but since she's—ahem—going to be busy, would you be a darling, Terry, and drive me to my class?" Michelle expects no less than total servitude from Robin's brother.
"Of course." Terry answers politely, always eager to help a lady. Going into the hall, he looks down into the two bright faces waiting for him expectantly. "Are my two ladies ready for school?" Terry-Papa was always so nice to them.
Not treating us like children. Like SOME people. Calling me a 'munchkin'. Rini shoots a nasty look at the closed front door.
"It's not really school anymore, just the higher learning class I wanted to go to. Today's the last day, so I'm sure they'll let Rini stay with me. Susan's going to be the school nurse today too." She adds happily, liking all of her dear ones around her at school. She, Terry, Rini and Michelle enter the kitchen.
"Good morning." Susan greets them in her nurse coat as she pours the milk into Rini and Tara's favorite cereal. Michelle taking her seat next to them for her low fat nutragrain bar. Alex's sliced grapefruit beside her still untouched and three plates of Susan's famous cheese and ham omelets covered and awaiting three hungry men.
Impressed with his lady's early morning homemaking skills, Terry smiles at her, and caresses her cheek. "It seems you've taken care of all of us, my lady. But tell me, where is yours?" He looks over the table, her seat, next to his of course, having no breakfast in front of it at all.
"Oh, I - forgot." Susan meekly says, still not much used to eating, after spending all those years in the doorway.
"Then you'll have half of mine." He says authoritatively, sitting her down, already feeling responsible for her, as he splits his omelet in half and transfers it to a plate Tara scurries to provide him with.
"But Terry, I-" Susan starts to argue, never much hungry.
"Susan." Terry gives her that overpowering gaze she can't help but melt under, he cutting off a piece of egg and putting the fork to her mouth, which she obediently takes a small bite of.
"Don't let him boss you around all the time, Susan." Michelle comments, slowly chewing on her health food bar, giving Robin a coy glance as he takes his seat beside her.
"I don't mind at all." Susan gazes up into Terry's beautiful eyes.
"Do you think Sayer will want his?" Robin, always hungry, says suddenly eyeing his brother's unattended cheese omelet after his own is gone. "It'll just get cold anyway." He shrugs off his annoying brother's well-being, digging into Sayer's breakfast as well.
"I can make another-" Susan just cleaning up the dishes starts to offer.
"Don't bother Susan. I'm sure he'll find something." Michelle could care less about Sayer as she hurriedly rushes into the living room, grabbing her purse. "We really must be going." She glances at the clock worriedly.
"But the dishes.." Susan was a model homemaker, never wanting to leave the sink full.
"Come on, Susan!" Michelle yanks her along, outside the side door, that Terry was gentlemanly holding open for them, waiting for them with the running car. "Robin will do them!" Michelle loudly calls back, kindly offering her shocked love's services to a task he had never before attempted in his life, and never really intended to.
"You can start the packing as well when you're finished." Terry cannot help but smile as he adds this, at the thought of his uppity brother doing the mundane chore of dishes, Terry quickly exiting the kitchen with his pleasant task of driving such lovely ladies away before Robin can manage to utter a word.
"Michelle?" Robin annoyed, complains, to find her usually open mind to him, setting up roadblocks at this juncture. Leaving the stolen omelet half eaten, his appetite spoiled. Robin gets up, wrinkling his nose at the dirty dishes piled up in the sink with disdain thinking he wasn't going to do them, after all. But when Michelle gets back….. Robin turns the water on, beginning to scrub a dish, when through the kitchen window, he sees two all too familiar figures competing with each other, racing to the door.
The sky a particularly brilliant shade of azure blue, Alex finds herself lost in it more often this morning than any other. Calmly watching the lazy clouds scroll by as she jogs along, she feels the strength of the firm earth with every pounding step, the coolness of the early wind on her sweating brow.
I'm running - but I'm not running away anymore am I? Her thoughts sift slowly through the past few day's life changing events—the Princess' predestined wedding, the harrowing battle that followed it—facing her own death, and finding new reasons why she desperately wanted to live. Closing her eyes as she continues her laps without pausing once in between, Alex feels the wind rising from the ground, sweeping away, returning, bringing a sweet scent to her lips. Not slowing for a moment, Alex keeps on running, though registering a particular someone's presence at her back. Let him come to me. She smiles to herself, picking up the pace a bit more.
Watching her fly like the wind ahead of him, Sayer sprints off after her, determined to catch up. A natural athlete himself, he admires Alex's tall physique, her strong, slender arms and long, very shapely legs, pumping in perfect sync, her style, her speed impossible to surpass. She's playing with me, Sayer smiles to himself. So maybe I'll win this little game my way.
Giving up the chance of ever catching up to the wind, Sayer stops in his tracks, taking refuge behind a tall oak, just off the path, waiting.
Seeing her starting landmark, Alex takes note. This is my tenth lap now and he hasn't caught up yet. Should I have slowed down? She inconspicuously glances back to see if he was there yet, a bit disappointed that he wasn't anywhere in sight. I suppose he must've gotten tired of this little game and given u-p…
Suddenly, something slams against her, knocking the wind right out of her and Alex knows exactly what it is, glad that he hadn't given up after all.
"Got ya!" Sayer triumphantly announces, kneeling down atop of her and pins her down.
"You really think so?" Alex breathlessly huffs, though tired out from all that running. However, her adrenaline was now pumping through her bloodstream, making her quite a formidable opponent in this game of cat and mouse.
Sayer grows limp as Alex simply pushes him aside like an old sack of potatoes. "All's fair in love and war." She whispers into his ear before taking off in the direction of the house.
His own adrenaline (and maybe a little testosterone too) flowing through his veins, Sayer recovers quicker than she thought, up and after her again. This time hot on her trail.
"So what is this we've got? Love or war?" His voice catches up behind her.
"You figure it out." Alex shouts back, laughing, the exhilaration of the race, of being with this crazy man making her a bit crazy herself.
Flashing him her dazzling smile, leaving that string dangling in front of him, and with his attention now diverted, Alex takes off in a final spurt of speed, winning their competitive little race, once again, though Sayer doesn't feel at all that much like he lost, as he follows her slim form inside the kitchen door.
"The two of you seem to be enjoying yourselves." Robin says sourly over the running water of the sink. Obviously, he himself was not finding much enjoyment in scrubbing dirty dishes and loading them into the washing machine.
"Michelle's got you working as her maid already, huh?" Sayer taunts him, knowing Michelle the only one in the entire galaxy with enough power over his lazy brother to make him do the dishes.
"MAID!" Robin screams back, almost dropping a dripping saucer.
"Your face might freeze like that!" Sayer points an accusing finger at Robin's anger-contorted features.
"So at least she finally found something you're good for." Alex pipes in as she pours herself a glass of orange juice. Taking a gulp, she then hands it to a panting Sayer, who downs the rest of it.
Ignoring her words, Robin wrinkles his nose at the thought of ever drinking from someone else's glass. His snooty high-class attitude forbade such distasteful practices. Yuck! I doubt Michelle would ask me to do that. But after all, she and Alex are different kind of women. Thank goodness…even if Michelle did make me do these awful dishes. Even Robin's inner thoughts grump to himself. Both Alex and Sayer plop down to their seats at the kitchen table, their bodies exhausted after such a demanding sprint.
"Hey! Who's the thief who stole part of my egg?" Sayer's suspicions point right to his hungry brother, who just looks up to the air, puckering his lips and rolling his eyes.
Not having the energy to chew him out properly, Sayer just hungrily devours what was left. Glancing up, he sees Alex calmly spooning out a simple grapefruit.
"Is that all you're having?" His mouth full, it comes out more like "Im dat ar yo ar ving?"
"Ye—ee—s." Alex amazes Robin, who was listening by understanding Sayer's gibberish perfectly.
"Here, have some of mine." Sayer looks down at the one sad little bite left on his plate, and grinningly guilty he holds it up, offering it to her still.
"No thanks." Alex finishes her grapefruit, wiping her amused mouth. "You want me to keep my "girlish" figure, don't you?" She teases wickedly. "I'm off to my shower." She stands before he has a chance to answer.
"Oh, need some help?" Sayer, not seeming so energy drained at the moment, jumps up from his seat.
"Don't even think about it, Mister." Alex shoves him down, the look in her eyes threatening as she goes out into the hall.
"Women are hard to figure, aren't they, Rob?" Sayer searches the pantry for something more to eat, settling for some Fruit Loops, straight out of the box, and stuffing a handful into his mouth.
"That's not an ordinary woman." Robin says of Alex, nasty thoughts in his mind for the insulting creature.
"I know." His thoughts entirely on a different track, Sayer smiles wistfully, thinking of Alex and imagining what she must be doing at this very moment.
"Terry told me to tell you to go and pack our stuff." Robin slightly rearranges Terry's words, pawning the rotten chore on Sayer.
"I bet he told you to help too." Sayer was ready to pick a fight now with his ill-tempered brother, neither ambitious enough in the morning to delve into the mountain of clothes and suits and such piled in poor Tara's closet.
"I did the dishes." Robin whines, slamming the dishwasher door shut (forgetting the soap, of course) and finding the little button marked "on". "I'm not doing it." Robin says haughtily, crossing his arm, feeling he's done more than his share of work already today.
"Well, I'm not either." Sayer would never just give in to Robin, both of them just glare at each other for a moment, waiting for the other to fold. But Sayer comes up with a better solution. "We'll leave it for Ter." Sayer says, used to pushing responsibilities off on his kind brother.
"Yeah." Robin dries his wet hands on a towel, throwing it down stubbornly as Sayer leaves to get dressed and cleaned up. Robin departs to the living room, turning the TV on and plopping on the couch lazily, neither of them with another thought given to the packing. There. They finally found something to agree on.
Upon returning home, Terry finds their things still unpacked. Smiling at his two brothers' irresponsibility, he begins the job himself. The classical music playing throughout the house stops, and Robin eventually finds his way to the room, lounging lazily on the bed instead of helping his busy brother.
Uncomplainingly, Terry continues to get their things together, cleaning up the borrowed room as best he could as he listens to Robin's endless whining about Sayer and Alex.
"The woman treats me like dirt, Terry. And Sayer doesn't do much better." Robin "helps" by lifting his legs up for Terry to retrieve Sayer's shoes hiding under the bed.
"She and Michelle have always been close. It's the price you must pay." Terry continues to fold the clothes, stacking them into their boxes and bags near the door.
"Yeah, I know." Robin thinks of his prize and smiles. "Well at least they've left me pretty much alone for awhile, while they're doing something with that stupid car. Do you know how much that thing must've cost!" Robin himself was extravagant with money but still felt he could complain about Sayer's usage of their funds, in such a large amount, especially since it was for her.
"Yes. I stopped by the bank on my way back." Terry looks at Robin, concerned. "I haven't been here to invest what was left of our capital and now with all these expenses and the new apartment being rather high priced, the books are quickly depleting. To keep up with the standards we're accustomed to, we really must do something." Terry's responsible mind was always thinking ahead.
"I guess so…" Robin frowns, the lazy streak within him, shirking at the thought of work again.
"What are you guys up to?" Sayer comes barging in the door, nearly toppling over all of Terry's neatly stacked boxes.
"Just about ready to take these out to the car." Terry smiles a greeting to Sayer, his arms full of suits on hangers.
"Great! Come on, Rob." Sayer gives Robin a shove and energetically grabs the bunch from Terry, leaving the room (losing a few shirts along the way). Robin sighs at him as he grumblingly lifts (a very small amount) of packages following Sayer out the door. Collecting the fallen shirts, Terry falls in the rear, hefting most of what was left in his powerful arms.
Once outside, Sayer makes a beeline for the red sports car, though behind the raised hood, inspecting the sparkling new engine, Alex knew he was coming.
"I thought I told you not to come back." She reiterates her admonishment from a moment before, slamming the hood down and seeing the load of men's clothes he was dumping in her new Ferrari. "Where do you think you're putting those?" She says, her hands on her hips.
"In our car." Sayer smiles sweetly at her. "You're going to drive me to my new apartment."
"Oh, am I?" Alex raises an eyebrow at his order, unaccustomed to taking those from anyone. He nods, then his eyes flash wicked.
"After all, Tara needs her room back — but I could stay, if you could find me some other accomodations….." Sayer's tone insinuated that Alex herself would have to provide him with these "accomodations".
"The couch is still free," Alex says, perfectly understanding his intentions, though her eyes wide and innocent.
"I didn't mean the couch." Sayer leans over the hood towards her, intending to kiss her.
"Didn't you?" Alex teases, letting him come closer.
"We're ready over here!" Robin's annoyed voice calls to him, from out of the green sedan's passenger side. Terry, closing the house door slides in behind the running engine.
"So are we." Alex whispers seductively, moving closer to Sayer's expectant arms-then skillfully ducking out of the path of his embrace, Sayer falling, his lips kissing the car hood instead.
"I didn't know you loved her so much. Get in." Alex laughs, starting the engine, Sayer quickly bounding over the side door without opening it as the two car's pull out into the street.
At the new apartment, in the city, Alex helps the three men carry their things up to the flat (glad all the junk was out of her car now). Passing on the way up that stuck-up old manage that Terry had dealt with when he signed the lease.
Looking the group up and down as they enter the suite of rooms, Mr. Harding believes them to be a rowdy looking bunch from their appearances. The three of them with long ponytails and the fourth golden haired man had a certain "wild" air about him, something old Harding did not like at all. Speaking to the most respectable of the four, the young man who had come yesterday, Harding decides to address the subject ahead of time.
"I thought you said that you only had two brothers, Mr. Starr?" He watches the mountains of designer clothes and such being produced from the cases they had brought up, eyeing the four men suspiciously, wondering how such young boys could afford the expensive trappings.
"I do." Terry politely begins the introductions.
"Mr. Harding, I would like you to meet my brother, Robin." Robin nods, the scowl of finding some shirts wrinkled still on his face. "And my other brother, Sayer." Terry motions towards Sayer who was already busily moving the couch about, more to his liking, facing the TV.
"Hey." Sayer gives Harding a friendly smile, nearly falling on his face in the battle with the heavy couch.
Harding rolls his snooty eyes at that one's childishness. "And that young man is…?" He directs his gaze at the thin young man who was more interested in the view from the open balcony than unpacking.
"Oh, forgive my rudeness." Terry smiles, a bit confused by Harding's words. "This is Miss Alex Sokova, she's kindly helping us with the move." He introduces Alex and she strides back into the room, giving him a strange glance at his introduction of her.
Harding's eyes go wide as he looks her up and down, concluding that she was indeed a woman. A woman dressed in men's clothing? What will kids these days dream up next? He sighs to himself, the decline of the world always a regular topic for him.
"Nice to meet you." Alex's low voice and firm handshake making Harding know why he could've thought she was a man.
Casting the group one more suspicious glance, Harding finally leaves them alone, deciding to watch this group very carefully in the future.
Leaving Sayer, Alex and Robin to continue the settling in, (yeah, right, the unpacking would have to go on pause until he returned). Terry goes to pick up the girls and Susan from their school and Michelle from her class, promising to bring back lunch with him for the hungry troops (well, mostly at Robin's insistence.)
He soon returns with the four ladies, bags of groceries and subs for lunch in tow, Michelle carrying a special surprise of her own behind her back.
"Which room is yours, Robin?" She asks immediately.
"This one over here." Robin points, a little shakily to the room at the far end of the hall.
"Good. I have something to show you." Bubbling over, Michelle grabs his arm, dragging the nerve-wracked man along to his bedroom.
"I don't like the sound of that, Michelle." Alex follows them as chaperone.
"Close your eyes." Michelle commands, giggling as they enter the spacious bedroom. Robin hears her unwrapping something in paper, then hears "All right! You can open them now!" excitedly.
Upon opening them, Robin sees Michelle holding up a framed painting to the wall opposite his bed. And not just any painting, but a beautiful portrait depicting the gorgeous setting sun melting into a calm sea, two figures, a man and a woman, silhouetted on the shore wrapped together watching the stunning scene before them.
Immediately knowing who those figures were meant to be, Robin smiles in awe at the sheer beauty, the way it makes him feel as if he was truly there-with Michelle at his side.
"Do you like it?" She looks to him expectantly, proud of her day's work, just for him.
"More than you can know." He projects out to her with his mind, his physical self unconsciously moving closer to her as well.
"I think I do." Michelle answers and he feels her soft waves drift over his soul.
"You and me." He smiles at the connection between them, the portrait a perfect image of what they have for each other.
"You and me." Michelle echoes back, as Robin moves closer to kiss her.
Their lips are just about to meet when, a deep voice interrupts them.
"Isn't that still wet?" Alex leans in the bedroom doorway watchfully, her arms crossed as she points to the portrait.
"Oh, yes." Michelle pulls away, straightening the picture guiltily.
"Go get a nail or something to hang it on, shrimp." Alex orders.
He glares at her, teetering on whether to say something nasty or not, then deciding not to, for Michelle's sake.
"Amara, do you have to call him that?" Michelle asks, as Alex relieves her of her load, holding the frame up for her.
"Of course. He makes it so much fun after all." Michelle could see there was no use in arguing, whenever Alex got like that, and when it came to Robin, she always was.
After preparing sandwiches for everyone around the living room, Susan utilizes the sparkling new kitchen, beginning to wash up the few dishes, Terry coming in and insisting on drying them for her at least. After finishing dividing up their things and unpacking Sayer's clothes too, Sayer himself playing video games on the built in unit with Rini, as Tara watches them compete almost viciously, Terry finally moves onto his own room, Susan soon drifting in to "help."
"Are you the school's nurse often?" Terry strikes up a conversation, a little embarrassed for Susan to have to hang his clothes, but she too insisted upon it.
"Sometimes." She answers, burying her face in the grey and yellow jacket he wore that night of Darien's bachelor party. "I volunteered so I could be close to Tara at all times." Susan straightens the shirt he hands to her, her delicate hands hanging it caressingly as she does with each piece of his clothing, excited just to know they belonged to him.
"That's very nice of you." Terry squeezes into the closet with her, hanging another suit, soon realizing it was a mistake (she was simply too tempting after removing her proper nurse's jacket for school, now in her tight-fitting red dress). "Maybe you could fold my shirts in the suitcase on the bed." Terry quickly finds an excuse for her to leave the closet.
Smiling at his sweetness, Susan does as instructed, emptying the case full of shirts on the bed and folding them into the drawers on the oak dresser when yet another bag (the one Terry had hurriedly stuffed under the bed when he heard her coming) peeking out catches her eye.
As Terry finishes stacking his numerous pairs of shoes in the closet, he finds Susan sifting through a bag she should not be in.
"These are cute." She smiles up at him, fondling, there could be no other word for what she was doing, a pair of his briefs.
"Susan, I think I should-" Turning red, Terry is about to take the bag from her when coming out of it, gingerly held in her hands, is a very familiar small little lacy brassiere. Looking up into his eyes, Susan blushes knowing it was hers from that first night.
"I-I was meaning to return it to you." Terry tries to cover up, though fully intending to keep it as a souvenir of sorts, his face now a bright, bright red.
"No, he wasn't!" Sayer's big mouth inserts in as he rummages through a bag, somehow sneaking quietly in unnoticed. "He keeps it under his pillow—every night." He whispers into Susan's blushing ear wickedly, honestly thinking he didn't really have to keep it a secret anymore. After all, Ter and Susie already had…
"Sayer." Terry scolds, mortified, such things told in front of his lady.
"What? It's true, isn't it?" Finding what he was looking for, a brown belt he must've reckoned was his, Sayer winks at Susan, then runs out as quickly as he came in, leaving Terry to gaze at Susan, guilty and horrified.
"Do you really keep it under your-?" Susan starts to ask, holding the purple lingerie up in the air for him to see.
"Susan, I know I shouldn't have-" Terry begins to apologize for his ungentlemanly behavior when Susan's next actions make him stop in mid-sentence.
"I think it's romantic." She smiles at him, as she lifts the coverings on the bed, placing the lacy bra on top of his pillow, then replacing the comforter to cover it with a gentle pat.
"You don't want it back?" Terry offers as Susan comes towards him.
"Not if you still do." Susan's words offer things of their own as she corners him into the closet.
"Susan.." Terry whispers, getting nervous again, as he is backed into the corner of the closet.
"Terry? Have you seen my-" It was Robin's turn to come into Terry's room for something missing, when gazing in the open closet door he finds Terry and Susan kissing, sandwiched quite comfortably between his suits and clothes hanging. Gaining control of himself (albeit hesitantly) Terry pulls from the embrace, escaping her (and himself too!) rushing from the closet.
"What were you looking for, Robin?" Terry tries to catch his breath.
"Uhhh. I forgot." Robin was still shocked to find his "normal" brother acting so crazy all the time now too.
"Make sure you call us when you remember." Susan herself feeling a bit giddy, takes Terry's tie, pulling him towards her and closing the closet door behind them, leaving Robin standing there alone, his mouth hanging open.
"Sayer is right for once. Women are hard to figure." Robin says to the walls, at first taking Susan to be a calm, sedate woman, with not an ounce of the vixen qualities she just displayed in front of him. Shrugging his shoulders at the conundrum, Robin leaves the empty room, the closet door still firmly shut.
The rest of the afternoon wears on, and Terry soon emerges from his room, Susan at his side.
"Did you get everything you wanted done in the closet?" Robin obviously shared his discoveries with the rest of the gang, at least with Michelle who smiles at the couple teasingly with her words.
"Well, not all of-" Susan starts to complain a bit, though she couldn't that that much about "unfinished business."
"I was thinking," Terry cuts her off, clearing his throat, making a space on the messy couch (it had to be, Sayer was there) for them to sit, Susan alighting on his lap comfortably.
"Yeah, Ter?-Oh, damn!" Still playing video games, but now a race car game with Alex, Sayer finds his car hopelessly lapped behind hers in her dust as her vehicle crosses the finish line.
"Beat that." Alex puts the controller down, triumphantly, not much interested in video games anymore, but determined to show this man of hers exactly who was boss.
His lip twisted, Sayer shuts down the TV, Rini and Tara lost interest in the video games quickly, opting more to draw pictures together on the living room floor.
"I was thinking," Terry continues, quite used to Sayer's outbursts, "that maybe we should start singing again, to keep up our lifestyle."
"Sure." Sayer was always ready to agree to Terry's judgement on these kinds of things. Seeing the look of dislike on Robin's cute face, Michelle offers to come to his rescue of course, with a wave of her hand.
"You boys don't have to work. I'm sure I could-" But Terry cuts her off.
"Thank you, Miss Moreau, for your kind offer, but we really would like to be able to support ourselves." Terry's male attitude showing, not to mention having his own reasons for wanting to work to be able to support himself (and maybe one other) as soon as possible. Michelle nods politely.
"Besides, it's fun to sing on stage." Sayer says, leaning back in his seat, always the showman.
"And fun to have all of those adoring girls swarming around you, screaming your name in the crowd, hmmm?" Alex raises her eyebrows at him, suspicious that this was perhaps the underlying motive for his immediate enthusiasm.
"Jealous already, Ally?" Sayer scoots closer to her on the couch.
"Not at all." She diverts her eyes away from him, annoyed, crosses her arms.
"Tomorrow we'll locate some instruments and the things we'll need to get started again." Terry's calm mind was racing to go, especially now he had a secret goal.
"Terry darling, you're wonderful." Susan sighs into his chest, impressed by his organizing skills and drive.
"Do you think your lady fans will mind too much that you have significant others now?" Michelle wants to ingrain this fact in their minds beforehand (especially Robin's).
"We just won't tell them." Sayer takes the easy and sneaky way out.
"Good idea." Alex agrees a little too readily for Sayer's taste.
"Not a good idea! I don't want all those women thinking my Robin is still….available." She claims her guy, hanging tightly on his arm.
"I don't think you have to worry much about that, Michelle." Alex smirks at an insulted Robin.
"Amaralexis Sokova!" Michelle rarely stood up to Alex, but this time her ire was up, her hands on her hips.
"Joke, Michelle." Alex holds up her hands innocently, but the wicked look in her eye was not so apologetic.
"It doesn't matter what they know about our private lives," Terry himself was not so willing to give up his wondrous new status as the lovely Susan's boyfriend, "as long as we can sing and act well in our own public personas." Susan smiles up at him adoringly.
"That's acceptable." Michelle agrees, like she just had to be consulted on the subject. (After all, she felt now that she owned part of Robin.)
"Can we have front row seats at your first concert?" Rini asks Tara's whispered question because the shyer girl thought it too bold to inquire.
"Of course." Terry smiles fatherly at his "Small ladies."
"Yippee!" Rini exclaims, excited to be able to attend the legend she had only been told about before.
Everyone laughs at her exuberance over an event still in the making when suddenly the doorbell rings.
"I'll get it." Susan gets up from Terry's warm lap, going to the front door.
"Hi! Hi!" Mina's happy voice sings out, as Susan opens the door.
"Hello, Mina, girls." Susan nods to them pleasantly, as Mina, Lita, Amy and Rei track into the apartment, none of them surprised to see Susan open the door for them (though some a tiny bit shocked when she reclaims her spot on Terry's inviting lap as they enter the living room.).
"Ladies, welcome. Please have a seat." Terry motions towards the vacant seats on the large wraparound couch.
"How'd you all find us?" From Robin's scratchy voice, you couldn't tell if he was pleased or displeased that they had come.
"We stopped by to visit Rini and Mrs. Hart said she was here with you guys." Rei explains.
"Oooh! Ritzy!" Mina whistles as she looks around the spacious living room furnished with the finest modest style.
"This is a beautiful apartment." Lita could appreciate such an expensive flat, having her own modest one, just about making it on her own monthly allowance from the fund her parents left her with. "I brought a homemade apple pie and some cookies for you as a housewarming present." She puts the gifts of food on the coffee table.
"Thanks." Sayer answers, liking the smell of apple pie. "We're not all moved in yet, but….you wanna have a look around?" He offers, excited as a school boy.
"Sure!" Mina jumps right up, the rest of the girls falling in line behind her as Sayer gives them the "grand tour".
"I think he missed them." Alex comments, finding the sweet boyish side, as well as the wild side of Sayer quite appealing.
"Yes. It might be hard to believe but he was a bit of a loner on Janus." Terry was glad to see his brother back to his normal, happy self once again.
"I don't think he'll be lonely anymore. Do you, Amara?" Michelle coyly aims at her friend, trying to get a rise out of her. But Alex merely sighs, knowing Michelle was still smarting from the comments before about Robin.
"I'm going to get some air." She goes out the sliding glass doors, out into the windy, dusky sky.
"That's a beautiful painting in your room, Robin." Amy compliments.
"It was done by a master artist." Robin squeezes Michelle's arm playfully, his new attitude surprising the girls to say the least.
"Thank you, sir." Michelle giggles.
"C'mon, you gotta see the view out here." Sayer continues the tour, opening the sliding doors for them.
"Wow!" Mina exclaims at the impressive city skyline, the beautiful sunset glowing from behind, the ocean glimmering in the distance.
"Pretty." Rei too, says with a sigh.
"Nice. Huh, Ally?" Sayer says quietly, leaning on the railing next to her, his eyes gazing out at the skyline.
"Very nice." Her deep voice permeating an adult mood, as the four girls behind the pair watch the wind flowing about them, through them, surrounding them in a way they'd never in their wildest imaginings could ever have dreamed they'd see.
Suddenly feeling that they should not be here, Amy signals for the other three to come back in and leave Alex and Sayer alone when Alex notices their quiet departure.
"Where are you pretty girls off to?" She turns, leaning backwards on the balcony to face them.
"Hey! Are you guys hungry?" Sayer breaks the romantic mood before any of them can answer Alex's question. "How 'bout pizza?" he offers, hungry himself.
"Pizza!" Mina, Lita, and Rei, all throw their hands up ino the air at the thought of piping hot (not to mention "free", they knew Terry always insisted on paying for them all) pizza.
"Guys." Amy folds her hands wanting to crawl away, at the 18 year old girls immature outbursts. Alex laughs, knowing what it was like now to have a childish person around, but for some reason she did not mind it at all.
"Come, my kittens. Let's go spring this on "Terry-papa." Alex smiles, knowing he was the one would be doing all the ordering and paying.
"Terry-papa!" All four girls (even Amy) exclaim, confused.
"Don't ask me." Alex shrugs, putting her arms around Lita and Rei's shoulders, leading them back into the high-rise apartment.
Siz empty pizza boxes later, card games and video games and stories of the past year's events on their separate worlds, the gang finds themselves just hanging out together and enjoying it.
"We've really missed you three. Life's been so dull here without you." Mina coos, snuggling up on the couch to Robin playfully, Michelle making a sour face at her as a result.
"Yeah, it's great being here again." Sayer smiles, his already fondness for this earth growing with each passing day, his eyes on his golden beauty who meets them with a knowing smile.
"Wonderful." Terry adds, a dreamy texture to his sexy voice as he pulls a contented Susan closer to his chest.
"You're going to sing again? That's so exciting!" Lita says pleasantly, tickling Diana's little head, the kitten, Luna and Artemis having joined them later during the day.
"You're not returning to your home world then?" Luna asks, always the responsible one, thought secretly pleased that Robin would be around again.
"It wasn't really our home world, and the Princess did give us leave. I think she knew we weren't coming back," Robin looks out the glass window out towards the shining stars, still feeling her presence overlooking them, her sweet fragrance would always be embedded in their souls. Michelle senses a sadness suddenly, how he missed Fireball and she squeezes his hand tenderly, Robin once again knowing why he returned to this planet-and decided to stay.
"Mother always told me of your concerts. May I come too, Sirs?" Diana's little voice squeaks.
"When we're going to have one. Certainly, little kitten." Robin strokes her head, knowing how to make a cat purr at his touch, thinking how much she resembled Luna, Artemis puffing up with pride at any compliment given to his child.
"It's very kind of you to give us all front row seats." Amy thanks them politely for their offer earlier.
"Not at all. You're all very dear friends." Terry answers in kind.
"Remember that time Serena got on the bus and missed the concert!" Mina laughs at the recollection of the first time they saw the Three Lights on stage.
"Stupid Serena." Rei interjects, always ready to beat up on her friend.
"Who could forget that night." Alex rubs in Sayer's face, the first time they met quite memorable too, though not an entirely pleasant experience, Sayer grinning at her guiltily, Michelle chuckling.
"Why? What?" Robin asks curiously, no one ever mentioning anything about that night to him.
"Nothing important, Robin dear." Michelle plays with his long silver ponytail.
"I wonder how Serena's doing on her honeymoon." Lita comments, a dreamy expression on her face.
"Hot hot hot! I'd hope." Sayer opens a can of worms.
"You would." Alex tosses her bangs back, her voice bordering on venomous.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sayer leans forward to look in her face.
"You know what I mean, Starr." Alex now lets her annoyance show for all to see, avoiding his eyes.
"Oh, do I, Sokova?" Sayer was just itching for a fight, it seemed, today.
Blink. Blink. Everyone watches the argument on the verge of explosion, the angry barbs passing back and forth between the strangest of strange couples becoming quite heated, until the girls, finding the pairing quite hilarious, burst out in raucous laughter. Sayer and Alex stop in mid argument, now their turn to blink at the girls laughing at them.
"You guys are too funny!" Lita exclaims, chuckling.
"I don't know how you two will ever put up with each other," Rei smirks at the thought of them ever having a civil conversation, never mind anything else.
"It's fun being with all of you." Amy giggles sweetly, her hand covering her mouth.
"Yeah. Let's get together again tomorrow. Everyone's out from school on summer break now!" Mina lived for summer break.
"That sounds nice. Why don't we all drive up to the beach on the coast. It will be good in this weather." Terry offers.
"The beach!" Mina, Lita, Rei and Rini all scream at once, (making Mr. Harding passing out in the hall wring his hands).
"Settled then?" Terry always managed these things well, the girls nodding excitedly. "We'll meet you there around 11AM. All right?"
Deliriously happy, anticipating tomorrow's fun (with the Three Lights!), Lita, Mina, Rei, Amy, Rini and the cats, soon leave to prepare their new summer swimwear, leaving the four Outer Soldiers and the three Starlights, left in their new apartment.
Susan and Tara clean up as Michelle feigns that she's about to leave, waiting for Robin to kiss her 'good night.' He obliges, kissing her pouty face on the cheek, Susan and Terry parting with their lips.
Sayer and Alex eye each other warily, their fight from before still unresolved. But looking into his eyes, his beautiful eyes, Alex can't help but smile at what Rei said earlier. "How am I going to put up with you?" She shakes her head as she's about to leave, stopping at the door.
"Funny. I was going to ask you the same thing." Sayer smiles devilishly back, all ill feelings melting away as he leans his arm over her in the doorway.
Peering about to investigate what all the ruckus was, Harding, the landlord, not wanting to be accused of spying, ducks behind a tall plant as he watches the wild looking pair he met earlier, do what he was sure do what he was sure all teenagers these days do. Kissing in an open doorway for all to see. At this time of night too! He looks at his watch, clicking his tongue. How unsatisfactory.
But Sayer and Alex felt quite the contrary.